2021, summer

sponsoring dealer: Gateshead Harley-Davidson THE SPROCKET GEORDIE CHAPTER #9721

Welcome to the summer edition of The Sprocket

What's in this issue:

Barry says ... Letter from the Editor Head Road Captain Merchandise Officer Historian - all our yesteryears! Newbie Ride Activities and Events Ladies of Harley

2021, summer Opus Focus Indigestion Challenge Heart ‘n’ Soul Rally Seasoned campaigners … ! Snowdonia Wild Hogs Florida tales Pizza or pasta ... HAMC Poker Run Blast from the Past Geordie Chapter website Unity Ride Wordsearch Last words

Thanks to Chris Neal for the cover photo! THE SPROCKET GEORDIE CHAPTER #9721 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Barry says …

Hello everyone, welcome to the second edition of our newsletter for 2021! When I sit back and think about the Chapter, I often think about the past, the great times I have experienced with you all – both on the road and at social events – and then I look forward and wonder what the future will hold for us all. My priority has always been you, our members, because without you this Chapter would not exist. I still get excited that through these difficult times we are still managing to attract new members into our group. As I write this I’m pleased to say that number is 27. That alone tells me we are still heading in the right direction. The camaraderie in our Chapter is on a very high level and that keeps me happy! Like I said in the previous newsletter, 2020 and the first part of 2021 has been the most challenging for me and the Committee but we can at last, I hope, finally see some sort of easing with the restrictions that we have to follow. However, we must still continue to act in a responsible manner to limit and stem the spread of this virus within our Chapter and our H.O.G. community. We are now beginning to see some of the hard work that has gone on in the background, with various events taking place, and (always a pleasing sight for me) the beginning of the New Members’ rides. I am hopeful that our next Chapter meeting in July will be held back at Nissan and as it’s our first for a long time you know what that means … pie and peas!! ;-) I’m very hopeful that the Heart ‘n’ Soul rally will be able to go ahead as the restrictions are lifted. Trying to satisfy North Tyneside Council has been a horrendous task for both me and Dawn but, deep down, I can appreciate their concerns. Your safety and the safety of all those attending is paramount. I hope you are enjoying taking part in the A to Z Challenge and taking those photos at the various locations. I would like you to take the time to get involved with the Great Relay 21 Unity ride that our Chapter has been so heavily involved in. The date for our involvement on the Unity Ride begins on Friday, 13 August. We will meet up with Aire Valley Chapter – we are planning a photo shoot at the Angel of the North before the official hand over of the baton and Pan America bikes at Gateshead Harley- Davidson. On Saturday, 14 August, we head up to Edinburgh Harley-Davidson meeting up with Dunedin Chapter. There will be more details to follow. Whatever you do, make the rest of 2021 one to remember! Stay safe everyone. Barry

NB: all events listed in The Sprocket may change due to ongoing restrictions – we’ll keep in touch, as far as possible. 1 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Letter from the Editor

I’m very pleased that the first edition of The Sprocket was well received across Geordie Chapter. I really enjoyed doing it and I think we got a good mix of articles, features and pictures in. In fact, I liked it so much, I decided to do another one: here’s your summer edition! Unfortunately, Monday won't bring about the end to COVID- 19 lockdown restrictions that we’ve all been looking forward to. However, my wife and I have been scooting about on our trike as earlier restrictions have been lifted and we have enjoyed an outside pint or two at our local, The Lochside, when we've got back from our travels. I hope that you’ve all enjoyed something similar wherever you are. Fingers crossed that there will be no resurgence of the pandemic and we can all get back to normal – maybe some of us will have a new normal. It’s great to see pictures of everyone’s outings, ride-outs and bimbles on Facebook – if anyone would like to share these with me, I’ll happily get them into The Sprocket for everyone to read. I know that quite a number of Chapter members don’t use Facebook, so this is a good way of spreading our stories and pictures. We’ve already got some great stories in this edition! I've also been sending out a number of emails recently, especially with content from Jimmy and Simon, so that we reach as many people as possible with our messages. It looks like Harley-Davidson has been very busy getting things moving with the Pan-America bike. I know that a number of our Road Crew went down to Dunston to have a look at it recently when it landed for a sneak preview. It sounds like opinions vary on its look. You can follow the progress of the Unity Ride, which features the Pan-America bike – there are more details of the ride in this issue. I had an operation on my foot at the beginning of May, which means no triking for me for a couple of months. Hopefully, I’ll be able to join some of the rides planned for late July – looking forward to it! COVID-dependent, of course. There’s something planned for every weekend in July! If you have something and would like to see it in print, drop me a line: [email protected]. Comments are always welcome. I hope to see you all soon. Cheers, Robin 2 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Other Photo 1

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Head Road Captain

If you haven’t already blown off the COVID cobwebs, here is the perfect chance to do just that. On Sunday 27 June, we host our first official Chapter ride-out of 2021. The ride is led and marshalled by the Geordie Chapter Road Crew. Our destination is Hawick. (TD9 9LF) The ride will leave from Seaton Burn Services (NE13 6BP) at 10.30 am prompt. Please arrive in plenty of time to refuel, go to the toilet and have a coffee before ride briefing at 10.10 am. Please note: H.O.G. rules state that anyone not attending the briefing should not attend the ride (this rule applies to all official chapter rides). After we leave Seaton Burn, we pass through Ponteland and head up the A696, then A68 to Carter Bar. Just after Carter Bar, we take the A6088 toward Hawick. Here, we will have a lunch break with plenty of time to re-fuel, if required. We will decide the actual duration of the stop in Hawick on the day. After our break, we head out of Hawick towards Bonchester Bridge where we turn for Kielder via Saughtree. We then head on through Bellingham and Wark to Chollerford, where we pick up the Military Road to the ride end point at Heddon on the Wall (NE15 OBQ). There is another opportunity to re-fuel here before your journey home. Summary: Seaton Burn to Hawick 64 miles. Hawick to Heddon 66 miles. Total ride mileage is 130 miles. The Road Crew has done several reccies for this ride: there is some fantastic scenery and some great riding roads. Hope to see you all there. James

Merchandise Officer

Hi everyone! Now that lockdown restrictions are hopefully being lifted and ride-outs hopefully going ahead, I will be at Gateshead Harley-Davidson most Saturdays with our fabulous Geordie Chapter merchandise. I have loads of H.O.G. and GC items for you all to spend your hard-earned cash on – I also have a huge range of personalised items, such as hoodies and patches. Just let me know what you want and I’ll see about getting it for you. See you all soon. Lyn

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Historian – all our yesteryears!

It was in 1903 that Mr Harley and the Davidson brothers united to create a business that has survived for more than 115 years. No other company has had such a long and uninterrupted motorcycle production run. In 1983, the company launched the Harley Owners Group. Following the establishment of H.O.G., local chapters grew in conjunction with local Harley-Davidson dealerships. Currently, there are about 1,400 official HOG chapters around the world. In 1997, the Geordie Chapter was formed, supported by Just Harleys in Morpeth, and the Chapter began its journey. At that time the most popular Harleys were: • Fat Boy £8,773 • Springer Softail £8,607 • Road King £9,414 • Dyna Low Rider £8,389 • Sportster £3,187 (XLH 883) to £4,975 (XL 1200S) Other major events of the time included: • The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh successfully cloned a sheep • Deep Blue, the chess-playing computer, beat the chess world champion Garry Kasparov • J. K. Rowling published the first book in the Harry Potter series • Tony Blair becomes UK Prime minister • Woolworths closes its remaining stores after 100 years of trading • Lady Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris On the sporting front: • Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield's ear during a match and is suspended from boxing • At the end of the 96/97 football season, Manchester United are champions with Newcastle united in second place. Sunderland and Middlesbrough are relegated! • Lord Gyllene wins The Grand national at 14/1 • Jacques Villeneuve wins the Formula 1 championship driving a Williams 5 The Sprocket 2021, summer

• John Kocinski wins the world Super Bike championship riding a Honda RC45 • Tommi Mäkinen wins the World Rally Championship in a Mitsubishi Lancer • Les Wallace won the world darts championship General costs: • A house in the North East costs around £55,000 • A pint of milk cost 35 pence • A litre of petrol would set you back 58 pence • A pint of beer was around £1.63 and twenty cigarettes were £2.94

How times have changed! Tony

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Newbie Ride

Here’s two great stories from new members who went on the Newbie ride … Hi everyone, I'm John Lester and I joined Geordie Chapter in December 2020. The Newbie Ride was my first time out with the Chapter. The ride was really well organised: congratulations to all of the Road Crew for their hard work and keeping everyone safe. The Safety Briefing beforehand was invaluable, especially for me - a 68-year old solo rider. The route was very enjoyable: through Edmundbyers. Crawleyside Bank, Stanhope and Frosterley. It was good weather, with good scenery. I chatted with a few folk during the pit stop. Sorry, I can't remember names but look forward to catching up with them next time. I'm really looking forward to the first official Chapter ride-out later in the month! John

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Hello all, I'm Pete Jackson. As a newbie to this group, I’ve been asked by the GeordieHOG Editor to write a small piece for The Sprocket on the Newbie ride which took place on the 5 June 2021. This was my first large(ish) ride-out as a Harley owner. Previously, I was on the dark side of motorbike ownership and rode a sports bike. I can already imagine the shaking of heads and mutterings taking place from the die-hard Harley owners … We all met up at the Gateshead Harley-Davidson dealership (any freebies for the plug gratefully accepted) on what must have been the best day weather-wise of the year so far. Being new to the Chapter and riding in a large group, I’d be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and excited about what lay ahead but that soon disappeared as I got talking to people. My first impression was of how much pre-planning and organising the Road Crew had put into to the ride – this never happened at sports bike gatherings. First of all, a safety briefing was held detailing the dos and don'ts for the ride: again this was new to me and was reassuring as to the level of professionalism of the group. Right, this is where it gets blurry around the edges with regards to the route and who I rode with. Being new to the area, I’m not familiar with names and places but thankfully I did take a picture of the route. All I remember is we set off from the Gateshead Harley-Davidson dealership (second plug) and several hours later after riding through some stunning countryside and pretty villages, we all returned back at the starting point safe and sound. It can only be described as a brilliant ride with a great group of people. I want to end this piece by thanking all the organisers, Road Crew and fellow riders for making it a very enjoyable ride-out and I look forward to taking part in many more to come (if I’m invited 😁!). Pete

Thanks to John and Pete for their stories, and welcome to Geordie Chapter! 8 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Activities and Events

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Ladies of Harley

Saturday, 1 May marked International Female Ride Day, a global movement and ride day for woman motorcyclists. Their mission is to build awareness of female motorcyclists and to encourage more women to take up the sport. Geordie Chapter promotes this mission too and can proudly say that our membership stands at 69 Ladies of Harley, with over 20 female riders. Though we do ride mostly with the men as a Chapter, what better way to support this day than to encourage our L.O.H. riders to join us? Dawn was up for it as was Joanne and we planned a route. We met up at Gateshead Harley-Davidson, waving off the guys who went out on a recce ride ready for when the current restrictions will allow us to ride again as a group. We had a quick coffee and photo before we left Gateshead heading north. It wasn’t long before we left the A1 and got on some minor roads experiencing everything the weather and the road conditions could throw at us! We had rain, hail, sleet and some glorious sunshine with lots of gravel, potholes and animal dung. Just the norm really! As we headed further north, the scenery was stunning. It wasn’t long before we left England and entered Scotland. Our planned lunch stop was at Kelso just on the Scottish Borders. We parked up in the square and grabbed a long bench to seat the three of us. We had packed a lunch each but we all needed a coffee. To our surprise, the coffee shop we went to for our takeaway drinks was full of seated guests – we hadn’t realised that Scottish restrictions allowed indoor eating. It was a strange but welcoming sight. We left Kelso in brilliant sunshine and headed back south: the country roads still surprisingly quiet of traffic but the fields full of spring lambs. A fabulous day!

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Next year’s date is already scheduled: Saturday 7 May 2022. So, get it in your diaries girls and please come along and join us! #justride Trish

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Opus Focus

Here’s a note from James Adams, General Manager at Gateshead Harley- Davidson: Hello all, The Pan America has arrived at Gateshead Harley- Davidson! We have seen the VIP tour grand reveal of the new model as well as the test ride event both of which were huge successes! This bike has been built to make noise and rock the adventure touring market, and it absolutely has not failed in doing that. We have a demonstrator model currently available to take out and have a display bike arriving in July. This will allow you to look at all details of the bike up close and personal! The first customer-sold bikes are being despatched to the dealers this month. As of this week, we have over 200 customer-sold orders in the bag, and it’s trending to become the UK‘s best-selling H-D model in 2021.

The industry first adaptive ride height feature has really drawn customer interest, and for many overcoming the mind-set that Adventure Tourer bikes are simply too tall and not suitable for them.

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In true Harley-Davidson fashion, you can speak to our parts department about the customisation for your new Pan America, and to our clothing department for the new adventure touring riding gear made by Harley-Davidson® Rev it!

The Birthday Bash is back! Join us on 31 July for our Birthday Bash! We are back and ready to celebrate. This year will be our fifth birthday and we can’t tell you how excited we are to mark the occasion, with one of our famous birthday bashes! You can expect the usual BBQ, band and great offers along with other fantastic entertainment and activity surprises, local businesses and donuts!! Keep an eye on our social media pages ahead of the party for announcements of what we have in store for you!

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New for 2021 at Gateshead Harley-Davidson Thinking of a weekend getaway? Or a once in a lifetime trip across Europe? Or an extended test ride? A Harley-Davidson Authorised Rental is the easiest way to let you ride free and experience the unmistakable thrill of what happens when a Harley-Davidson hits the open road. James and team are excited to launch Authorised Rentals at Gateshead Harley-Davidson. The rental fleet currently includes five awesome motorcycles that you can rent from three days. This year has been very difficult for people to go abroad on holiday. However, more people are discovering the great places that the UK has to offer. Staycations have been a blessing for people who need to get away. Harley-Davidson Authorised Rentals at Gateshead unlocks the chance for people to get out and go on an adventure. We have all got our fingers and toes crossed for our favourite European destinations to make the green list. When this does eventually happen, you can make the most of the Authorised Rental programme and take our motorcycle to have the ride of its life.

Street Glide Special

Sport Glide 16 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Heritage Classic 114

Low Rider S

Ultra Limited

• Already own a Harley? Take an extended test ride of a new model. • Does it tick all the boxes? • Going across the country but need more comfort? Take one of our Tourers! • Use as a show piece at an event • Feel like you need some extra power for the weekend? Rent one of ours. • Prove to your non-Harley friends that these machines are incredible • Friend visiting from overseas? Tell them the good news!

Pop into the dealership or give James and the team a call to discuss the T/Cs. 17 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Indigestion Challenge

Geordie Chapter had a fab day out, riding and eating across the North East, on 29 May. Simon reports … This event came about after a few ideas were bandied around one night at a Committee meeting (on Zoom). Involving pies and food, I thought about a pie trail run or a Gregg’s-themed event (note: other pie shops are available). After some vigorous head-scratching, I decided to make it into a non-led event where everyone had to navigate around the area and collect points. Something like a poker run, however I struggle with pontoon so that was out. The day came, Saturday 29 May, with prizes ready, paperwork ready and marshals installed at each waypoint. However, was the Chapter ready? … well, judging by the confused faces reading the rules and thinking ‘where on earth are these places’ the answer was no! So, I did a quick briefing and all teams and riding groups were ready for the off!

With the sun shining, off they went like a pack of starving hounds hunting down the elusive golden sausage. Well, I say off, except for one young lady (names again, I’m useless at them: I think Daphne?) who rolled in after getting lost on the way to 18 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Dunston (this didn’t bode well) but she collected her sheets and she set off, hunting the pack down. The peace and quiet descended for a few hours with messages and calls from the marshals advising of the various ravenous bodies, devouring baked goods all over the north east of England. Special note to Head Road Captain, James Jobson, who was obviously worried for my well-being and brought me a Gregg’s mince pie to help keep my energy up. Here are some pics from Corbridge:

Time was ticking on and soon I heard the distant rumble of V-Twins and in rolled the first two back, Mark Leadbitter and Terry Scott (aka Badger). I took the scorecards and off I went with the massively complicated scoring and handicap system. At this point I graciously received an ice-cream tub from Mark and a dodgy vegan sausage roll from Badger (although his scoring was looking dubious: he had quiche!). Judging by the amount of food and drink on the two scorecards, they had both taken this event to heart and gut. After a few minutes, another group landed back, Gary and Alan, who had kindly led our new members from Plymouth around. Then it was a mass influx with some highlights: • George and Jo had a massive pizza, sadly let down by poor pudding choice (frangipane, I even had to spellcheck it twice) • Several members seem to think a latte is coffee (it’s warm milk really) • Ray and Leslie, who offered me a bribe of a cookie (which I had to refuse having succumbed to many previous gifts of pastry based items) At two o’clock, we were missing a few, led by Big Tony. In the past, he has earned a reputation for directional infidelity and slap-dash time keeping. At two-fifteen, in 19 The Sprocket 2021, summer they came. New and old members led astray by the legend of Big Tony. He tried his best to bribe me with a lukewarm chicken bake (but I did take it home and eat it later). Unfortunately, five minutes was all I could allow. Possibly ten but not fifteen. I just hope his followers still speak to him: Big T would have won if he could tell the time! So with scoring done, the prize-giving was next: • First place went to Mark Jennings who had tried his hardest to obey the rules and not be swayed by wayward fruit-based goods • Spirit of the Event went to Mark and Badger who did all four venues, landed back first and tried their hardest to rid the north east of food • Last place (although there were no losers really) went to George and Jo: it was a great pizza choice but struggled after buying fruit-based frangipane

If I could, everybody would have got a prize for getting into the idea of the event and having a good time. The atmosphere at Gateshead Harley-Davidson was great with everyone having a laugh about what they had eaten and been up to. I think this really summed up the day, everyone had a great day! For me, this was about members new and old getting out and about, bumping into each other at a few locations and having a good catch up whilst enjoying some food and drink.

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I wish I could name you all but I can’t cos I’m old with no memory: thanks to each and every one of you for having a bash at something different … now what’s next?!? Simon Heart ‘n’ Soul Rally

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Seasoned campaigners … !

As some of you might know, Geordie Chapter is twenty-five years old next year. Founded in 1997 from small beginnings in Morpeth. After a recent email from Tony Brookes, I thought about an article focusing on people who have been in the Chapter since that time or who are still riding well into their seventies. So, here’s a piece written by seven Geordie Chapter members, including a few words from our oldest member – Derek Twamley, at 78. Over to you all … Frank Goodall An Auld Timer’s Memoirs Good day to all, my name is Frank Goodall and I have been a member of GEORDIE CHAPTER since its inception. Sometime in early 1997 when JUST HARLEYS was based in Stanners Industrial Estate, Morpeth. Dale Robinson (first owner and partner of Just Harleys) took five of us to the RISING SUN pub in Morpeth and while there, he informed the gathered ensemble we were to start the Chapter and we were allocated various roles. I didn't want to be part of it, BUT was persuaded to take a position of ROAD CAPTAIN – six founder members in one go!!! Thus, the beginning of an ERA was born. I had bought a second-hand 883 Sportster hand-built custom at Just Harleys about two years before 1997 and had it bored out to 1200 cc before riding solo to Malaga, Spain via return Portsmouth and the Santander ferry (no mobile phones or satnav then, just a paper road map and the spirit of adventure) returning three weeks later – some kind of ride and adventure that was. My first rally was Just Harleys’ Heart and Soul at Clennell Hall – what a ball – bands on the flat bed of an artic, a roaring camp and bonfire and sitting on bales of hay all right next to it. Health and Safety would have locked us up now-a-days. My second and favourite rally was Thunder in the Glens (June 1997): I attended on my Sportster and I have attended every year since (sad really I know and yes, I attended Perth when the AULD Aviemore complex was flattened and the new complex rose from 23 The Sprocket 2021, summer the rubble of the old (by my reckoning that's 23 years, as Carol my wife and I attended last year, 2020). We were not alone up there, as there were many GEORDIE CHAPTER members and lots of other Chapters represented, the date is like a magnet and must-do every year for people country- and worldwide. Even though there was no entertainment we still stayed over for four nights. We (Carol and myself) and on occasion others love to get the North Shields ferry across to Amsterdam and ride down to Harley-Davidson EURO FESTIVAL Port Grimaud France. This is Carol’s favourite and my SECOND favourite (across the bay from St Tropez) through different countries, different routes each time, we've seen some beautiful places and countries. Our latest rally was the EUROPEAN RALLY at Cascais, Portugal, June 2019. Carol and I caught the North Shields ferry to Amsterdam and rode down to St Malmo, stopping over at Leon and Orleans and taking in the sights in and around St Malmo – we stopped over for two nights. On leaving, we were up bright and early to meet the ferry and fellow GEORDIE CHAPTER members Mark Jennings, Big Tony, Mandy and James Jobson and last but not least Mags (sorry Mags, I didn't catch your surname) and Allen Glasper. They say it's not the DESTINATION but the JOURNEY: in this case most DEFINITELY true. We met up and rode together through France and Spain and on to Portugal. The route was EXCELLENT plotted by James. I can't remember if I thanked James so if you're reading this, thank you James. All through from 1995 the bikes of choice have been my Candy Apple Red Sportster, Black 1997 FATBOY, Black 2009 FATBOY, Black 2014 FATBOY and my latest Wicked Denim Red STREET GLIDE SPECIAL. I hope you enjoyed a very, very brief account of my GEORDIE CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP YEARS. As a FOUNDER MEMBER, it's been a pleasure to WATCH it grow and survive very difficult times and come through the other end shining bright. It's a testament to all previous Committees right through to Road Crew, Directors and others – too many to mention here – that the GEORDIE CHAPTER is STILL talked about in glowing terms and welcomed in all the countries I've visited and makes me PROUD when you see people’s faces when they are informed you are a GEORDIE CHAPTER member. p.s. one or two chapter pins is a good idea in my experience, as people invariably ask for one. Frank

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As a treat, here’s a picture of Frank on his brand-new Fat Boy (1997) from Just Harleys, as pictured in HOTT, back in the day.

Les Britton Hi everyone, I’m Les Britton, 74 this year and a founder member of GEORDIE HOG. I joined the chapter in 1997, three years after retiring from the Northumbria police marine unit, where I worked for twenty-three years as a Sergeant. Prior to that, four years on traffic in Durham Police, after leaving the navy.

I have been riding motorbikes for 62 years, my first bike at age 12 was a 197 cc James. My current bike, which I have had since 1996, is an ex-New York police Harley-Davidson, model FLHTP and 1340 cc. It was first registered in 1986, and has 43,000 miles on the clock. It still has all the police lights and sirens on it too. Last year, due to several injuries (mainly from playing rugby for twenty-five years), I found that I was having difficulty holding the bike up whilst stopping at lights etc. I have had three operations on my knee, so I have fitted a Watsonion Grand Prix sidecar. It seems to have cured the problem and CORA LOVES IT (Cora being the golden Labrador). Pauline, the wife, likes it as well! 25 The Sprocket 2021, summer

I have ridden motorbikes all around the world – the most memorable being in Canada, South Africa, on Route 66, Hawaii … and a week in Milwaukee in 2003 for Harley’s 100th anniversary. I had a great time and spent a bloody fortune! Les Duncan Callum I write this shortly after returning from my first bike ride of the year fresh out of COVID lockdown and the smile on my face is as broad as the smile I got from riding my first bike when I was 16 and still at school, and here I am now in my 75th year and still getting the same thrill. I love motorbike riding, in my early years I was out with friends on our motorbikes every day – riding to work in summer and winter – out for leisure rides to a cafe on an evening and a blast to Brampton along the military road at weekends. We were ardent followers of motorbike racing too, enjoying weekends at Oulton Park, Mallory Park and annual trips to the Isle of Man for the TT – I even took Chris there when she was pregnant with our first child. Being married and having children put an end to my bike days for a few years but I became hooked again when my brother in law loaned me an early 60s Bonneville for a couple of months one summer, and I was hooked again and bought another bike - starting with a 500 Honda moving on to other bikes both big and small, I loved them all. My riding then was mainly solo riding - with friends and sometimes taking Chris pillion – until I got my first Harley. 26 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Harley ownership brought a whole new world of biking to both of us. Chris loved my first Harley – a shiny 2006 anniversary Dyna, and she bought me a Chapter membership as a Christmas present in 2007. This opened up a whole new life for us where we found new friends who also loved Harleys. Our first weekend away with the Chapter was a three-night trip to Perth which we loved, the bike rides were great, despite a bit of rain, and the drink, music and dancing at night time was great fun too. Since then we have enjoyed many trips away in groups both large and small, and been to many rallies with friends in the Chapter including Bisley, The Gathering, Cider Rally, Thunder in the Glens, Wake the Lakes, Iron Horse, Benelux and Faaker See. The highlight of all was a 3,000 mile trip to USA with Hadrian Tours led by John and Dot. We were with Barry and Trish, Mally and Jaqui, and Bev and Ann, and we enjoyed far too many great memories to re-tell here – including fabulous sights of Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Yellowstone, Sturgis, Rocky Mountains National Park and some of the best bike riding there is. We had a really fabulous time. We had a bit of an accident in Barcelona in 2012 when on a biking holiday with Chapter friends which left me in a wheelchair and on crutches for a while. I will always be grateful to the Chapter friends who helped and supported me at that time. We could not bear to lose the life we had with our bike friends and in the Chapter, and as I could not ride a bike at that time, and it was before Harley made trikes, we bought a new Harley De-Luxe and had it converted to a trike (with hand operated rear brake as my right leg was still in a frame) and we were able to continue to enjoy our time in the Chapter, and trips away with friends. I found a new skill in trike riding too, a different technique but the same feeling of freedom and wind in your face I was able to enjoy being on the Road Crew while on the trike, and felt a sense of achievement when I was the first trike rider to go through the Harley Road Captain’s training Around that time the Geordie Chapter was closed temporarily by the Harley dealer at Silverlink and when it was re-opened the dealer stood down from the role he had taken on as Chapter Director, and appointed me as treasurer and my good friend Barry was elected as Director. The Chapter had moved on quite a bit from then under Barry’s leadership, we went through a period of not having a dealer after the Silverlink dealership closed, and with other committee members we were able to ‘raise the phoenix from the ashes’ and again organise the Heart and Soul Rally at a different venue of Percy Park. The rally turned out to be a success, thanks to the hard work of Barry, Dawn and others, and the financial risk of running a rally was converted to a success that helped put the Chapter on a sound financial footing. I stepped down from the role of Treasurer in my fourth year and returned to simply enjoy riding my trike / bike again rather than spend too

27 The Sprocket 2021, summer much time taking care of the Chapter money and being involved in committee work. Hats off to all who continue to do this on behalf of the Chapter. Now I just enjoy riding my bike. I’m solo again now, Chris decided she was getting too old for being a pillion a few years ago and I then swapped the trike for a bike again – and love it. I’m out whenever I can and on most weeks during the riding season I enjoy a midweek day out on the bike with a group of friends. It’s a bit like the ‘best of the summer wine’. I still enjoy longer rides too, a couple of years ago I rode the north Coast 500 with a few Chapter friends, and had planned to ride the Wild Alantic Way in Ireland last year but had to cancel because of COVID lockdown. Despite my ageing limbs and bodily creaks, riding my bike brings the same smile to my face and the same exhilaration I felt from my early years on a motorbike, and, better still, now I have a great bunch of Harley friends to enjoy it with. Duncan Gwyn Brooks As you do … My introduction to Harleys was all because of a phone call to a mate saying ‘think I might buy a second hand Harley’, ‘don’t do that’ says Dave ‘I think I might have one somewhere’ … ‘as you do!’ As it turned out, he did – it was in a container at Hern Airport stuck right at the back with six mot certificates under the bike cover. It was a T-plate 1200 Sporty: talk about shake, rattle and roll but, hey, he even trailered it up here for me, ‘keep it as long as you like’ says Dave ‘I’m sailing the boat to the Med’ … ‘as you do!’ I had the Sporty for over a year then returned it ‘cos I was hooked completely. I bought luxury, a 2004 883 Low from a fellow riders club member: the comfort was unreal after the 1200. I joined HOG and the Chapter in 2005 ish. The problem with group riding on a Sporty is keeping up, and with a small tank you are always on the lookout for a petrol station. You get 90 miles and start thinking ‘must get something bigger soon’. So my very first visit to Newcastle Harley (loved the art work on the wall outside) a wander round met Burt, Grant and Chris Higgins and fell for a Dyna Low rider 1450. Deal done: 883 to 1450, flipping heck, tons more power and a much bigger tank. So Chapter rides became a joy, Scotland for Haggis, Dunbar RNLI, Aviemore for TTIG, plus my addiction for the North York Moors and trips to France. 28 The Sprocket 2021, summer

The Low was a bike I wish I had just kept but life ain't like that, so 40-odd thousand miles later (2014 to be more precise) the Low went and a Switchback came on board, 1690 now and hard bags (dead posh). Bit of a love-hate relationship with the SB: cracking ten-day trip to France (with Ray Smith and others) brilliant time just a great bike (but) out one day and the wheel bearings went big time and I sort of lost confidence in it. So in 2017 bliss arrived in the form of the Slim S: 1801cc and it restored my faith in Harleys. It will be my last and I consider my best bike, I went to Holland with Chapter members to a HOG rally riding with like-minded folk makes life so much simpler. Scottish 500 again with Chapter members, now that was a very interesting ride. In all of this saga, the Chapter has run alongside me in the background. But, as important are the friends you make and keep along the way. Gwyn Ray Hales Hi everyone, my name is Ray Hales. I’m into my fourteenth year as a Chapter member. I am currently a Road Captain on the Road Crew and have been for about seven years. I previously served on the Committee for seven years as the Coalition Officer liaising with the Hells Angels and all other MCCs. I ride a 2018 Tri-Glide, this is my fourth trike since joining the Chapter, and my first was a Sportster 883 converted by a company in Devon. I had it upgraded to a 1200 by Just Harleys from where I had bought it from. I kept this bike for about three years then bought a Street Glide trike which had belonged to a past member. This bike had been converted by Colin Appleyard in Keighley to a very high standard (who usually convert Honda Goldwing trikes). In 2014, we went to the Benelux rally in Larochette in Luxembourg and there was a temporary showroom on site from Harley Davidson, Luxembourg. They had one of the new Tri-Glides on show and I was talking to the manager when he asked me if I would like a demo ride so I took the bike out for about an hour’s ride and I was instantly hooked. The difference in performance was amazing from my 1450 to the new Rushmore 1690. On my return to the UK, I happened to be in the dealership on the Saturday morning when Grant (the then manager) asked me if 29 The Sprocket 2021, summer

I wanted to do a deal on the new Tri-Glide. I had previously been considering changing but nothing definite so after a bit of haggling I went ahead and did the deal. This bike took me to many rallies both here and abroad including a few of the Benelux rallies but the best rally had to be the 115th anniversary of Harley- Davidson. Eleven of us set sail from Newcastle to Amsterdam and then rode through Holland and Germany, then into the Czech Republic and into Prague. This had to be the best rally we had been to since Faaker See in Austria in 2010. We had a great five days at the rally and then we rode to Bavaria to visit the ‘Eagles Nest’, Hitler’s former mountain retreat. After that we rode into Austria and then returned via Germany and Holland, visiting Arnhem and Oosterbeek to see the Airborne museum and cemetery. We had also visited Hamelin to see the Pied Piper and also had a trip to see Colditz Castle. This was a really memorable tour with great friends. Two weeks of great riding and great laughs along the way. I started riding bikes back in 1960 when I bought a Triumph Tiger Cub which was a 200cc. I then changed to a Triumph Twenty One which was then a big bike at 350cc and later changed it for another Triumph, this time a 500cc Speedtwin. Later, I changed to a BSA 650 but details of that one have faded a bit in my memory. I’m sure it was a Star but which model I can’t remember. I had a long break from biking for differing reasons, two failed marriages being one of them but that’s another story. In 2004, tragedy stuck when I lost my brother to cancer and six weeks later my father passed away. I was going through a lot of stress at work at the same time so things seemed pretty bleak. In 2006, I decided that life was too short so I bought myself a Suzuki Cruiser which I kept for two years, always hankering after a Harley and then in 2008, I became hooked. I was a keen sportsman a few years ago, I taught Wado Ryu Karate for 26 years rising to the rank of 4th Dan Black Belt. I also ran half marathons, 6km runs and also 10km runs. This took its toll on my knees and ended with me having six operations on my right knee and eventually a total knee replacement. Hence the need to ride a trike as I was worried about dropping a big bike and not being able to hold it. I love my time with the Chapter: I’ve made some great friends and hope to be riding for a few more years yet. Just remember this, ‘it’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years’. Ray

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Tony Brookes I'm one of the Chapter old-timers, having joined in 1999. I'd been a Honda rider, but after having three bikes stolen, I reckoned it was time for a change. I called into the Harley dealership in Sandyford in Newcastle – and my life changed forever! Here was biking Mecca! And right in front of me was my first Harley – a Sportster 1200. I dived into the newly-formed Geordie Chapter and have been an active member for more than 22 years, made lots of good friends and had lots of fun on ride-outs and at rallies. With my wife, Carolyn, up behind, I've had some great tours – several times round Europe, once taking in some small states (Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, San Marino) to the European rally at Lido di Jesolo, Italy: one trip down through the high Italian/Austrian Alps (through endless hairpins) to the Hungarian rally at Lake Balaton, then on to Slovakia and Czech Republic. Another trip was round the Baltic states, when - in Latvia, having missed a turn – we washed up near the Russian border!

But the big trip – the ultimate – was riding across the USA coast-to-coast in 2005, with my daughter up back, and two mates – from Annapolis on the Atlantic through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, north to the Great Lakes and Chicago – then Route 66 all the way to the end at the Pacific at Santa Monica, taking in the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley en route. Adventures all the way! The daftest thing I've ever done on a bike? On the way to the European rally at St Tropez in 2001, riding down the Rhone valley motorway in a horrendous rainstorm, when we should have pulled off for safety. Adventures, adventures … fantastic, exhilarating, mind-blowing experiences riding through majestic scenery – and meeting some great bikers. No regrets, 31 The Sprocket 2021, summer just great memories. As we can't go abroad, I'm now getting down to doing the ABC and A to Z challenges. Ride safe and have fun, my friends – I'll keep doing that as long as I can! Tony

And finally, our oldest Chapter member … Derek Twamley The Latecomer biker … I was born in July 1942 in my grandmother’s house on the banks of the river Mersey, at New Ferry in the Wirral. After the war when my father came home, I lived with my parents in a village called Rainhill not far from Liverpool. Rainhill was where Stevenson won the Rainhill Trials with his famous Rocket steam engine. In the forties and fifties most people didn’t own a car, never mind a motorbike, but I do remember the name of Geoff Duke. He was born in St. Helens, about two miles away. He was a local celebrity, who was well-liked and won six world championships AND six Isle of Man TTs. When I was sixteen, I sat on a motorbike for the first time! It was a pale green BSA Bantam owned by one of my older friends, and he let a small crowd of us have a go on our own on a grass covered field – and the girls had a go as well. Sometimes he would see me waiting for a bus to go to night school and would give me a pillion ride into St. Helens (no crash helmets in those days – that law would come in on 7 February 1973). One of my other friends had bought an ex-War Department motorbike, which I remember could be bought for the tidy sum of £35. What I remember vividly about the bike was the front suspension – big bare springs. I don't think there was any rear suspension. The rest of us couldn’t afford so much money as we were still at school or college. He was well off, having left school to be a lorry-driver’s mate and earning money. I went to sea as an engineer cadet with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service when I was nineteen, after two years at college, to get a mechanical engineering diploma. Met my wife from South Shields in 1963 when I was 21, got married in 1967, became a chief engineer in 1970 then served on many types of ships until retiring in 2001. My last few years were with an American cruise ship company. On one of the ships, three of the engineers owned Harleys. This may have awakened some hidden longing. I took motorcycle lessons in 2000 with a school in Prudhoe, and passed the test in 2001. Now, I know that the word scooter promotes groans from many people, but I still do like them. This goes back to my teenage years when the Mods and Rockers were prominent. I had the idea of buying one of the big 600cc models which had quite a good name. However, after meeting and talking to many motorcyclists particularly down Westgate Road, I ended up with a second-hand 900cc shaft-driven Yamaha Diversion. I had this bike for a few years, and it proved to be a very reliable machine and good value.

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I put this bike in part exchange for a brand new Road King Classic in 2007 at Just Harleys, Dinsdale Place via Grant Anderson. This bike became a write-off one year later when the front wheel met oil on the road when entering Hexham. A good job I was riding slowly and I was unhurt. There was no problem with Harley Insurance, who paid full value. I did want to buy another Road King Classic second-hand, but none came into the shop. However, in 2010 Grant showed me a 2008 Ultra Classic with only 276 miles on the clock. It was a good price, so that's what I've still got. I still prefer the Road King, but have to admit that you can get a lot more shopping in the Ultra Classic. I joined the Chapter in 2007 when it met at the Ouseburn. I did go with the Chapter to Ullapool in Wester Ross some years ago and remember that the scenery up there is really something. Also that filling stations do not seem as frequent as in England – beware small tanks! I did go to Thunder in the Glens once, but it was a bit too busy for me – too many people on motorbikes!

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The most memorable outing with the Chapter was some years ago when we went down to, I think it was Seaton Carew. It had been arranged to meet children from the area of Chernobyl where the disastrous nuclear explosion had occurred. They were over here on a holiday, about 20 of them staying with various families in the area. We had all taken spare helmets with us and we spent a few hours giving them rides along the seafront. Fortunately the weather was great. I'd bought bags of sweets for them. The ladies chaperoning them said those children would remember that day and talk about it for a long time. They were all lovely children and so well behaved and courteous. I will never forget that day. For a couple of years now, I've not really enjoyed ride-outs and lengthy rides without pretty regular stops. The reason – what I call Numb Bum. I've never been used to sitting down for a long time, so I like to have a short stop about every 40 miles or so. Even with a very good Harley seat! And what has been my most cost- effective accessory to my bike? Definitely a bicycle horn operated by squeezing a rubber ball! It only cost a few quid. It sounds like one of the old vintage car horns. Not many people take much notice when they hear a normal car or motorcycle horn. But when I sound my bulb-horn, it never fails. They most of the time turn around with a smile on their face – very nice. I enjoy being in the Chapter, and let's face it, it's had its ups and downs. What club doesn’t? Respect tends to be rather lacking these days. I admit that I'm one of the less active members, but have always respected those members who run the various aspects of the chapter. They spend a lot of time and energy carrying out their duties. THANK YOU ALL.

Thanks to all our seasoned campaigners for their stories! 34 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Snowdonia Wild Hogs

Geordie Chapter had a blast to Wales 21 – 23 May. V-Twin Joe reports … It’s May and I’ve still got my thermal liner in my leather jacket but nevertheless, it is time for one of Derek and Rachael Norman’s get togethers – and it’s been a long time coming. Over the last few years, they have organised a hotel for a few days as a hub for a scenic ride out. This year it’s being held at Wrexham and he’s called it Snowdonia Wild Hogs. It’s been in the planning for over a year now, thanks to COVID. We set off in the pouring rain at 9.45 to meet up with the rest of the mob at Carnforth Truckhaven for 10.30 ish. But, as usual, there was an accident on the road out of Ulverston so we had to sit for an hour in the rain while they cleared it. We eventually got to Truckhaven at 11.25 just in time for a quick coffee and a socially-distanced chat with the lads ‘n lasses from the North East. The ride down the M6 was slow because of the lack of visibility but otherwise uneventful. We got to Wrexham at around 2.30 and stopped to refuel. Then we headed straight to the hotel, about 20 minutes away. There was a bit of faffing about in the car park because it’s on a steep camber, but we all finally sorted our spots out and made our way into the Wynnstay Arms.

We got booked in smoothly, nothing like the drama of Shap Wells. The room was small but practical and looked fairly clean if slightly outdated. Daisy ‘n I had a quick spruce up then headed off to the bar. It’s funny because we can hear all the late arrivals trying to get parked safely in the car park below our room. Just like Shap Wells, the bar ran out of the popular beverages so most were drinking low alcohol Wainwright’s vegan crap, but I was told it was easy to drink. 35 The Sprocket 2021, summer

The group was slowly growing with around six non-hardened “bikers” arriving in their cars, I think in total there was around 22 of us. The meal was booked for 7.30 to 8 but we were finally served at 9.40 ish.

I only ate the chips off my mixed grill as the meats were cooked but stone cold and it was too late to ask for them to cook it again … the bar shut at 10.30 dead. On Saturday, we came down for breakfast. It was an order-and-don’t-leave-your- table-until-served job. It was ok but I had to chuckle, Rachael ordered the avocado with poached eggs ‘n bacon on toast but they didn’t have avocado … some signature dish that. Daisy ordered a few things but had to go down the list on the menu until they had it in. The porridge she ordered came in a pot from Tesco and they just added water! They had literally filled the pot so it was like wallpaper paste. Needless to say she didn’t eat it. The ride-out totally made up for the shortcomings of the hotel. We set off out at 10.30 and, in total contrast to yesterday, the sun tried to come out. But Derek essentially wasn’t having any of it, he set a bee-line on his satnav to divining mode and in no time at all, it had found rain. A quick stop to don our wet

weather gear and we were off again. 36 The Sprocket 2021, summer

The route was nice with open roads and a few villages. I did have a feeling I’d been down a few before and to my surprise I was right. It took a while for the penny to drop but as we rode past a police-infested Ponderosa, I realised that I had been there many years ago.

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This was the planed route …

And this was what it looked like when we got back … I’m happy to say the sun did finally come out and the roads dried out.

We got back to the hotel at 6.50 ish, so it was a quick change and wash to get down to the bar. What a good night it was … I ordered a double rum ‘n coke that came a virgin rum ‘n coke, so in the traditional fool-me-twice out came the hip flasks. I got some funny looks off the bartender when I started ordering Diet Coke – we had to tell him I was keeping a clear head for the ride home tomorrow, yeah right! On the subject of fool us twice, we didn’t go for the meal option this time, any of us, we just kept ordering table snacks. The night was brilliant. Daisy and I haven’t laughed so much in what seems like ages. One thing I can say about Derek’s get-togethers is there are so many brilliant characters and the more drink they have the funnier they get. The bar closed again at 10.30 so most of us being knackered from the day’s riding went back to our rooms. As usual, a few went in search of more booze. You can always tell at breakfast the next morning. The last morning was a bit of a joke. We went for breakfast and after playing Russian roulette with the menu again, Daisy and I waited forty minutes for it to arrive. After thirty minutes the waitress came to inform us it was coming, ‘just cooking your hash browns’. We gave it ten more minutes then just left. It was a bit strange leaving the hotel as most had already left. We packed the bike and headed home, I couldn’t wait to get back so I could give the bike a wash. What a fantastic time, roll on the next one! V-Twin Joe 38 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Florida tales

Hi everyone: my name is Greg Holmes, I have been a member of H.O.G. since 1999 and I joined Geordie Chapter #9721 at the same time. I’ve held various positions in the Geordie Chapter. Currently, I’m a member of the Road Crew as a Road Captain. I’ve been in the Road Crew since 2003. I am also a member of Rockstar HOG Chapter #4352 in Fort Myers South West Florida – the sponsoring dealer is Rockstar Harley-Davidson. You’ll see from the photos that I have left- hand drive and right-hand drive Road Glides. I bought the blue Road Glide in April 2019 and joined Rockstar HOG the same month when I attended their monthly general meeting in the dealership. I was made very welcome by all the chapter members present. At the time, the Chapter was riding three times a week (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) but since COVID, this has dropped to twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday). I turned up at the next ride and was made very welcome by the Road Captain taking the ride. There were many jokes about my accent and reminding me to ride on the right side of the road.

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As with all Chapter rides, no matter what size, large or small, there is always a briefing and I was quite used to that. However, across the pond things are a little different: this is Bob with his helper Kick Start. The rides all start from the dealership at 9:30 am after the briefing which is conducted by the Lead Road Captain. Hand signals are used and are passed back through the ride. Rides at the moment are restricted to twelve bikes: when more turn up it becomes a multiple of twelve. In each ride, there are three Road Captains which are Lead,

Shotgun and Sweep. Junctions are not marked as everyone keeps together. If the group is split travelling through an intersection, the leading section slows or stops in a safe place for the rest to catch- up and the group reforms. The rides are at least 100 miles long and are usually to a restaurant for lunch, the restaurant is the ride’s final destination. At a midpoint in the ride, a rehydration stop will take place at a petrol station or a rest area. While on these Chapter rides, you’ve always got to be mindful of the Floridian wildlife. In the rural areas, you will always see Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures cleaning up the road kill armadillos, raccoons and sometimes alligators, a bit different from a few rabbits on the North York Moors! After a few rides with Rockstar HOG, I was asked if I would like to join the

Road Crew as a Road Captain: I was delighted. After three weekends of training, I was welcomed aboard as a new Rockstar HOG Road Captain. So now I’m a Road Captain on both sides of the Atlantic! Rockstar HOG are quite an active Chapter with rides currently twice a week.

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They also help the Dealership when events are on. Such as BBQ’ing, helping with bike/car parking and working the three day Demo Rides when the Harley-Davidson truck brings them to the dealership also Christmas wrapping. There are Easter Bunny and Christmas toy runs to the local Children’s Hospital, a 9/11 Memorial ride and many more. Another big ride is the Fly Your Bra ride. This is a Sheriff-escorted ride of about 50 miles from the Dealership to Naples and back. In 2019, the Chapter raised $12,500 which was split between two recipients who were going through cancer treatment. As I write, Rockstar HOG are up in Kentucky at the` Bikes Bourbon and Bluegrass H.O.G. rally. Their next big trip away will be up to the Great Smokey Mountains H.O.G. Rally Maryville Tennessee in September. No doubt some will be riding the Tail of the Dragon. I hope you have enjoyed this little write up. If you’re ever in south-west Florida, call into Rockstar Harley-Davidson and say Hi. There’s always something going on with the Rockstar HOG Chapter and you’ll be made most welcome. Maybe join us on a ride out! Remember Ride and have Fun. Greg

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Other Photo 2

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Pizza or Pasta …

Here we have a bite-sized breakdown of two Geordie Chapter members … Alan Wright and Tracey Leadbitter! This is going to be a regular feature, so if you would like to get involved, then do get in touch. Alan Wright

What's your Cowboy Song, Thin favourite song? Lizzy.

What's your Based on the favourite film? number of times seen, the John Ford western The Searchers.

What's your Roast chicken favourite food? Sunday dinner, prepared by my lovely wife Chris.

What's your Highland Park favourite tipple? Viking Honour, though I enjoy many more malts.

What's your Anywhere I favourite holiday? haven’t been before, touring on the Harley- Davidson or in MoHo.

Silence or music I like silence filled with blues rock.

Piercing or tattoo Tattoo.

Game of Thrones Game of Thrones. or EastEnders

Kindle or book Book.

Pizza or pasta Pasta.

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Godzilla or King Sixty-feet high and wanted for swatting planes – the icon King Kong Kong!

Summer or winter Not winter, the other three.

Early bird or night Night owl, If in company with a drink. owl

Hamburger or hot Hamburger but none of those fast food varieties. dog

Hero or villain Hero (not the white hat type) – Clint in Gran Torino.

What’s the most Being able to read out loud Facebook posts when nobody’s useless talent you interested! have?

Who do you My wife for putting up with my idiosyncrasies, she won’t call it admire the most? like that.

What's your Apart from the obvious one, I do like a bit of DIY. hobby?

Which poster was Norton Commando 850, with Vivien Neve on it complete with on your wall when platform heels. you were growing up?

Sum-up lockdown Far too many worthless opinions! in five words Tracey Leadbitter

What's your I have quite an eclectic taste favourite song? in music really, but I think my all-time favourite is Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses, it’s the one I just can’t resist dancing to (I use the term dancing very loosely).

What's your I absolutely love Blown Away favourite film? with Tommy Lee Jones. It doesn’t get aired very often but well worth a watch if you can find it. 44 The Sprocket 2021, summer

What's your Haribo’s, does that count as food? Ha ha! favourite food?

What's your Not much that I don’t like but it’s got to be Gordons Pink, I’m favourite tipple? a cheap date. I love flavoured gins but that’s always my go- to with lots of fruit. Partial to bourbon and rum too, so I think that’s just called greedy.

What's your It’s got to be when we went to the USA in 2020, spent three favourite holiday? weeks travelling through Atlanta, Gatlinburg, Maggie Valley, Smokey Mountains, Cherokee, driving through the Mississippi Delta, Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Mobile Alabama, visiting my family in Panama City going to Dollywood, The Grand Ole Opry and riding the Dragon’s Tail along the way.

Silence or music Music, all the way, I find it hard to concentrate when it’s silent. I even need noise in the background when I work.

Piercing or tattoo Tattoos, love them, I admire the talent involved.

Game of Thrones Never watched the first one and can’t stand the accent in or EastEnders the second.

Kindle or book Kindle.

Pizza or pasta Pizza, more satisfying.

Godzilla or King King Kong. Kong

Summer or winter Summer: love the long days, brilliant for days out on the bike to make the most of it.

Early bird or night Early bird. I’ve never been able to lie in, probably something owl to do with my army upbringing and my dad telling me constantly that ‘you’ll miss the best part of the day’ (whatever the hell that meant).

Hamburger or hot Hot dog, as long as it’s made with a Bratwurst not those dog plastic pink things.

Hero or villain Always been attracted to villains, more interesting by far.

What’s the most I would love to have a useless talent, it would be so much useless talent you better than having no talent at all, honestly can’t think of have? anything. 45 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Who do you Not a political person usually, but I have to take my hat off to admire the most? Boris. Gets slated nearly every day but just keeps going and gets the job done. If it was me dealing with what he’s been up against and all the criticism, I’d have told them where to shove their job!

What's your I love baking and cake decorating, but as Mark hasn’t got a hobby? sweet tooth, I usually end up taking stuff to work so I’ve got the reputation as a ‘feeder’.

Which poster was I’m ashamed to say it but growing up in Germany I was quite on your wall when influenced at the time by their pop culture, hence the king of you were growing double denim himself, Shakin’ Stevens, had pride of place on up? my bedroom wall. I never stooped as low as The Hoff though so hopefully all my street cred hasn’t gone out the window.

Sum-up lockdown Peaceful, reflective, distant, solitary, alcoholic! in five words

Many thanks to Alan and Tracey for their contributions!

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HAMC Poker Run

Colin Bell has a great story about the recent NECMC event, at Angels Place. A great day out, give it a go … As you may know, Geordie Chapter is a member of the North East Coalition of Motorcycle Clubs. The coalition members are often invited to participate in the events arranged by the other clubs. On Saturday 5 June, seven of us represented Geordie Chapter in the famous Hells Angels Motor Club Poker Run. It’s a prescribed route where you pick up playing cards at each stop, and the best hand at the end of the day wins. It’s not a race, so no prizes for being first back. The day started at Angels Place in Sunderland, ten quid a bike, you can ride solo or as a group and go at your own pace. We decided to stay together and, after a spectacular start from the Angels Place pub with bikes streaming out of Church Street, we were on our way.

Big Tony had tried to talk team tactics, but we all sharp realised he was talking a load of shite (😀) so we followed Paul instead – we needed to get though the traffic jams of Durham, and Paul lives there. First stop was the King Head in Lanchester. We thought we had made good progress, with Paul leading us through the backstreets of his home town to miss the traffic jams. That smug feeling was short-lived when we turned up to find a car park full of bikes and tables full of bikers enjoying whatever they were having. Unperturbed, we all duly cut the pack to get a playing card stapled to our registration cards. Mine was a miserable nine of spades however Paul drew a king of diamonds. We got early away with a leisurely ride to Stanhope via Tow Law, thinking we would be one of the first groups of bikes there … no chance as about twelve Hells Angel bikes came thundering past us. 47 The Sprocket 2021, summer

We got to the Grey Bull in Stanhope, parked the bikes and ordered burgers all round from the Piggy Blinders wagon that was set up in the pub car park. We all drew useless cards, except for Paul who cut another king. Onwards and upwards, (upwards was actually Crawleyside bank out of Stanhope), we were heading to the Travellers Rest in Slaley. The bikes were thinning out a bit now and we got there in good time despite the council’s attempts to spoil our fun by resurfacing about five miles of the road and leaving all the chippings for us to slide about on. Paul pulled another king – three kings! This made my pair of nines look pretty pathetic. We sat and watched the rest of the bikes rolling in, nearly all grumbling about the gravelly road surface. Next onto our last stop, the Errington Arms on Stagshaw roundabout. We went via Corbridge with the compulsory revving of engines going across the narrow bridge and through the village. The Errington Arms is alas no longer a pub, it’s a coffee house – so coffee and cake was the order of the day. A crestfallen Paul appeared with a five of clubs to knacker his winning streak, but anyway the cake was good. The last card had to be drawn at Angels Place, so after a quick blast down the Military Road, through Newcastle and Washington, we got back to the busy pub with the band just setting up on an outside stage. We gave up trying to find the fella who had the final pack of cards, but we’re told that someone already had four aces (well, fancy that 😀). To be honest it’s not about the winning it’s the riding, and the company and the crack. I would recommend it to anyone who has been thinking about doing the Poker Run but not sure to just do it. It’s great fun. It would be great to have a bigger group from the Geordie Chapter for the next one, I would have loved to stay as the night was young, and the band sounded canny, but I had the bike and couldn’t drink. So I set off home to nurse a burned head (must bring a cap next time!). Thanks for the company and good crack, with Big Tony, Phil Mordey, Paul Pouton, David Barton, Shaun Green and my son, Mark Bell.

For any further information regarding coalition events get in touch with the Chapter Coalition Officer, Anthony McGill (Big T). Colin 48 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Blast from the Past

Who would have thought: it was just over ten years ago since the opening of Newcastle Harley-Davidson! Here’s the evidence, from January 2011, with Mandy English as Editor.

The main attraction of the weekend was the Harley-Davidson Legend on Tour demo truck, which allows you the opportunity to test ride the latest models. Advertised highlights included: • Hog roast food and drink • Harley-Davidson fitstop showing • Dealership launch promotions you the flexibility of Harley- only available on that weekend Davidson parts and accessories • 8 ball custom paintwork - on your bike inspirational custom paintwork • David Lawson photography – projects for the opportunity to pictured you on your dream discuss your requirements Harley • HOG Geordie Chapter - was • Deemed luggage there to discuss the benefits of • Hadrian V-Twin Tours and HOG and Harley ownership and Rentals – if you were planning the Director was running the an American tour on a Harley, hugely successful raffle John and Dot were worth a visit • Mordue brewery – an • Harley-Davidson financial opportunity to sample award- services winning locally-produced beers • Plus many more …

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In 2004, the Chapter pulled together for a special event with St Oswald’s Hospice. Nigel Collis was your Editor.

This was very much a last minute event but the Chapter pulled out all the stops and made it a day to remember. St Oswald’s Hospice had rung just before a Chapter meeting to see if one or two bikes could take a special baton down to a hospice in Teesside. The baton is being passed from hospice to hospice around the country as part of the preparation for this year's Olympics. This gave us about five days’ notice and on the same weekend over 50 bikes were off the Scotland. A general appeal was made at the meeting for anyone who was free with Lol Wearmouth and Greg Holmes offering to lead it. Sunday came around and instead of the half-dozen anticipated we hit the road with a grand total of 34. The weather was glorious which obviously helped and at 10:30 a.m. we set off to St Oswald's. Once parked up, we notified them of our arrival and Jiggy was summoned (Jiggy is the character used to promote the Jigsaw Appeal for the Children’s Wing of the hospice). The bikes were then moved to a more photogenic spot and Jiggy officially handed over the baton to Lol for safe transportation. We pulled out and headed to Stockton. We were to deliver the baton to the Children’s Wing of Butterwick Hospice. This was at the back of Teesside Hospital at Stockton so it was across the Tyne Bridge, along the Felling by-pass and down on the A19. Lol and Greg did a good job of keeping us together although we did arrive with a couple of us missing. An astonished staff saw us all arrive. Such a large number was not expected. An official presentation was made to one of the young residents then we were served some refreshments and chilled out for a while. While we relaxed, it was an opportunity for the bikes to be admired and for one of the nursing staff to have a ride. Suitably relaxed and refreshed, it was time to call it a day. Some of our group live locally, some were heading off to Whitby, some left for home and the rest headed back up the A19 for a McDonald's. It had been an excellent day, a good turn out to enjoy the ride and some very welcome hot 50 The Sprocket 2021, summer weather. As for the baton, the little boy would had received it was to fly in a light aircraft across to a hospice in Carlisle and hand it over later in the week. Thanks to Lol and Greg for leading us and making it a day to remember. This is how the Geordie Chapter Events page looked in 2008 …

How time flies: there will be more Blasts from the Past in the next issue! 51 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Geordie Chapter website

Here are a few snippets of information and some facts and figures about the Geordie Chapter website … some of it is quite techy, so beware! The website is our main outward-facing (open to everyone, with an internet access) means of communicating with the outside world. H.O.G. says that the purpose of the website is to … ‘motivate, recruit, retain, educate and entertain members’ and they provide a staggering amount of guidelines and rules to make sure that we are non-political, non-discriminatory etc. Much of it is common-sense.

We have one main domain geordiehog.com and it provides all the various pages that we need to promote what we do – events, memberships, galleries, ride-out guidelines etc. We also use it to promote our rally and sell tickets. Our web host is IONOS (previously called 1&1) and they provide the database for our website – it is on a WordPress platform. I choose lots of appropriate plugins (there’s about twenty) that we need to make it all work. This includes the Events Calendar, media libraries, editing packages (for the pages and posts) and a Shopping Cart. When I set the current website up in 2015, I started with a blank sheet. I spoke with several web design companies at the time but the costs were incredibly high. So, I chose a free one from the many provided by WordPress and I customised it to get to where we are now – I chose a theme called Gateway Plus, from a company in the US called Rescue Themes. We do pay them a nominal amount each year for theme support – just in case anything goes pear-shaped. It’s only done that once (thankfully!) but it showed that the support was worth the outlay. I then created a Child Theme, linked to the main (Parent) theme. This means that all the customisation I did is unaffected by updates to the main Gateway Plus theme. It may sounds a bit strange, but both WordPress and Recue Themes update so many things all the time, it means my life is made a bit easier. The first year’s support with Rescue Themes also gave us access to Google fonts … and the main highlighted font on the website is called Metamorphous. I’ve used this within The Sprocket too, and on almost all our Chapter communications. 52 The Sprocket 2021, summer

We’ve also used it on several t-shirts for the rally: almost like our own branding really. It’s a serif font and I use it for headings mainly: I’ve paired it with a sans serif font, Muli. Sans serif fonts are much easier to read electronically. This font you’re reading now is a sans serif font, called Century Gothic. The main colours are actually H.O.G. colours – yellow (HEX #FFBA00), brown (HEX #875900) and black (HEX #000000, also called process black). We don’t use any H.O.G. or Harley-Davidson fonts, but we do use the logos. I do have access to their logo and branding guides. These, obviously, are extensive. There are several things that H.O.G. requires us to do to maintain our Chapter affiliation. They publish all these in the EMEA Chapter Charter – we need a link to the sponsoring dealer (Gateshead Harley- Davidson) and they have to have one back to us, we have a link to the H.O.G. pages (from the main Harley-Davidson website) and we provide evidence that we attract and engage new H.O.G. members. Everything is up-to-date on ours. To be honest, most chapters worldwide tend to have a website of some description. Almost all of them provide the same basic information including details of the Chapter, event listings and lots of pictures. Each one is slightly different, showcasing the various aspects of what they do and where they are. The two main features that I like on our website are the Heart ‘n’ Soul rally pages and the way that we can all buy our annual memberships. There are so many online purchases these days and we’ve moved with the times to make these available for you all. Both were a bit of a faff to set up but it was worth the effort – two-thirds of rally tickets and three quarters of memberships are completed online. Here’s a few statistics about the website … Since I installed the statistics plugin (about 2016), we’ve had nearly a million hits on the website, it is just over 915,000 at the moment (and over 147,000 unique visitors). That’s about 200,000 clicks per year. This isn’t too bad, actually. Our most visited page, apart from the Home page, is the coalition page. Almost more than double the next visited one, the rally page. We use an SEO package (search engine optimisation) which means that we can increase the quality and quantity of the website traffic, as well as getting better exposure of the site: generally through organic search engine results. If you type north east coalition into Google or something similar, it will almost always give the result to our page first. That’s SEO at work. Ditto with the rally: type that in and our pages and the Eventbrite link come up first. Finally, the site which provides the most referrals (after our own Home page) is Google, using Chrome. Easily the most referrals by far. Hope you enjoyed reading this summary of our website! If you have any Qs, please email me. Next time, it’s security and privacy. Robin 53 The Sprocket 2021, summer

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Unity Ride

As many of you will know, Harley-Davidson has arranged a Unity Ride during spring and summer 2021. This is a relay which crosses north and western Europe. It all kicked off on 26 May in London. The ride-out starts at one Harley-Davidson dealer and ends at the next. It is an open ride-out where everyone can join in. Each dealership’s H.O.G. Chapter sets out a route that ends at the next H-D dealer. The Chapter will then welcome the Chapter from the previous dealer, with many different parties and celebrations arranged at each dealer. Each will ride the new Harley-Davidson Pan America. The first route was from London (the starting point) then crossing into mainland Europe to the tip of Norway and back to Copenhagen. Once complete, the bike travels back to the UK and Ireland (this route has not yet been finalised …). As an example, on 18 June 2021 (Stage 17), the bike will travel from Hengelo (Oude Monnink Motors) – Akkrum (Clubhouse Lakes Chapter). There is a charity element to it: the Great Relay supports the aid organisation Two Wheels For Life. Since 1989, they have been using motorcycles in African countries as a means of transport for healthcare. Everyone can get involved in raising money for the charity. At some point, the route will be devised from London through Scotland, Ireland and Wales. I'm sure that we will all get involved at the appropriate time! You can follow the progress of the relay here: https://thegreatrelay21.com/

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Barry picks up the story, with the background to the Unity Ride … Way back in April 2020, on a Marjorie Rae #stay-connected call, the UK directors were looking at things we could do that would help us to bring the UK and Ireland chapters together during and at the end of this pandemic. Martin Dickenson (Nene Valley) suggested we could do something like a relay ride around the UK and Ireland once we got clear of the pandemic and when all Government restrictions were lifted. We knew there had already been a Women Riders World Relay so we didn’t want to look like we were copying that idea. So, after a soul-searching evening I thought how about we have a time capsule (carved up with a hole in the middle) to carry a message of unity around all the UK chapters to show our support to H-D Motor Company, H.O.G. and all the UK chapter members who have stood side-by-side during this pandemic. The next day, I contacted a friend of mine, Chapter member Ray Smith. Ray enjoys carving wood and I tried to explain what I wanted … it wasn’t just about carving a piece of wood: I needed it to have a blind hole in the middle to carry the message of unity from Marjorie Rae. About a month later, Ray presented me with the time capsule that will be used on the Unity Ride. Unity is the union of a group of people: it means qualities such as togetherness and integrity – the harmony and togetherness between bikers can be described as a unity of a special family and that’s what we are celebrating on this ride.

A problem we had was once the message was put inside of the capsule, it sprung open and we couldn’t get it out without damaging it. So, we decided to use a very small plastic tube (like a straw) that had a small round disc on the bottom. This was inserted into the time capsule with the message attached. This enabled us to remove the message, as and when necessary, but as the capsule is intended to be sealed this will never need to happen. I persuaded Marjorie Rae to help write the unity message that would go inside the time capsule as I believe Marjorie is the glue that helps bond all the UK chapters 56 The Sprocket 2021, summer together. I thought it was very important that the message came from her. All 38 UK chapters will participate in this Unity Ride and they will all receive a framed copy of the message that they could hang in their sponsoring dealers. I also thought it was important to have all the chapter logos around the edge of the message as recognition of who took part. With the help from Malcolm Seedhouse (Lakeside Chapter), we set about putting a route together that would take us from Jersey to Southampton and all through the UK and Ireland, through Wales and finishing at the Harley-Davidson Head Office in Oxford. The time capsule was to be flown into Jersey by private jet: Steve Spenner (Mancunium Chapter) had arranged that with one of his celebrity friends and Helen Watt (New Forest Chapter) had arranged for it to be flown into the UK by a friend of hers who just happened to have an old RAF Spitfire – he would hand the capsule over to Helen and the UK Chapter Unity ride could begin. After consulting with all the UK chapter directors, we decided that when lockdown eased and restrictions lifted, we could ride in large groups and the ride would take place. As you all know, the restrictions were never eased enough during 2020. What I then proposed to do was postpone the Unity Ride to a time, whenever that may be, when we as a H.O.G. family was able to ride together again. So here we are in May 2021: things have changed somewhat from my original plans. Unbeknown to me, a very similar plan had been hatched during December 2020 in the Benelux regions. Anna Marie Deary, Consumer Experience Manger Harley-Davidson Benelux and Nordic regions, and her team decided to do the same sort of ride. They would visit chapters and dealerships in the Nordic regions – more of an adventure-type ride – they had got a budget from H.O.G. and also the loan of two new Pan America motorcycles. Instead of passing a baton or capsule, they were going to use the Pan America as the baton. They had also joined forces with a UK charity called Two Wheels for Life to help raise money to purchase some motorcycles as they are an integral part of delivering vaccines in Africa. At the April #stay-connected calls, we were asked by Steve Kelly, Marketing Manager for Harley- Davidson, if we would consider joining the two rides together. Our UK ride was put together to create a unity between Chapter members here in the UK but after some careful consideration between Martin, myself and Gordon Dick (looking after H.O.G. business while Marjorie is on leave), it was decided that it may be a good idea to join the two rides together. If our members wanted to, they could also donate to the charity – it would also help spread the unity we have in the UK into the Benelux Regions. So here we are just a week away from the start of this adventure (started on 26 May), and what an adventure it’s going to be for all the 90 chapters taking part.

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Wordsearch

Find the words in the puzzle. Words can go in any direction and can share letters.

Alnwick Chillingham Ford Norham Aydon Chipchase Halton Ponteland Bamburgh Dilston Haltwhistle Prudhoe Belford Dunstanburgh Harbottle Rothley Bellingham Edlingham Haughton Warkworth Berwick Elsdon Langley Widdrington Bothal Etal Lindisfarne Bywell Featherstone Morpeth (They’re castles …) 60 The Sprocket 2021, summer

Geordie Chapter Committee

Barry Gillespie Director [email protected] James Adams Dealer Principal Gateshead Harley-Davidson Gary Fisher Secretary [email protected] Jo Shackleton Treasurer [email protected] Simon Field Activities Officer [email protected] Helen Nicolson Activities Officer [email protected] Dawn Beattie Rally Coordinator [email protected] Trish Gillespie Ladies of Harley Officer [email protected] James Jobson Head Road Captain [email protected] Allan Glasper Assistant Head Road assistant-head-road- Captain [email protected] Robin Anderson Editor, Webmaster [email protected] Mandy Jobson Membership Officer [email protected] Lyn Hunter Merchandise Officer [email protected] Pete Hill Merchandise Officer [email protected] Tony McGill Coalition Officer [email protected] A few final words …

I hope you’ve liked this issue of The Sprocket. If so, get involved … if you have anything that you would like to see in it – pictures, news, touring tales, reader’s rides, favourite routes, cleaning tips and tricks etc. – then do get in touch!! Great stories and pictures really help sell our Chapter. We generate some fantastic enthusiasm when we’re out riding and I'd like to capture as much of this as possible within these pages. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue! Including Committee members, we’ve had 30 separate contributions! Fab stuff! If you would like to contribute something that you think others would like to read or see, here’s my email address: [email protected] Robin

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Gateshead Harley-Davidson Geordie Chapter Ellison Road www.geordiehog.com Eslington Park Gateshead Harley Owner’s Group NE8 2QU www.hog.com

0191 562 3466 Harley-Davidson www.opusharley-davidson.com www.harley-davidson.com